Whether you are looking to surf the Pacific, take a scenic cable car ride up Powell Street, bike across the Golden Gate Bridge, see the Victorian houses in Alamo Square, visit an underground jazz club in the Tenderloin, sample goodies from the multitude of food trucks across the city, or wander along the Embarcadero, there’s a little for everyone in San Francisco. No matter how many times you visit the city, or truthfully, how many years you live here, there’s always something new and exciting popping up!
No matter which neighbourhood you visit, you can stumble upon a few hidden gems, many of which even locals are unaware of. Like the Lyon steps in Pacific Heights that offers a breath-taking view of yachts dotting the Marina. The Moraga mural steps in the Sunset which lead up to a birds-eye view of the Pacific coastline or the Lands End trail nestled behind Sea Cliff, arguably the best way to take in the rocky coastline of Golden Gate Bridge and the northern peninsula.
Because of the tech boom that has moved a lot of ethnicities and cultures into the San Francisco Bay Area, our foodie culture is absolutely phenomenal, representing culinary inspirations from virtually every corner of the world. Cantonese barbecue pork buns. Check. Ethiopian injera. Check. Brazilian feijoada. Check. Hungarian goulash. Check.
Travel and transport
Public transportation is very convenient in the city – with MUNI crisscrossing the city, Caltrains down the Peninsula to the South Bay and BART connecting San Francisco to the East Bay and SFO. For direct transport options, cabs, Uber and Lyft are all super convenient. If you are planning to spend time outside of the city centre, a good option is to rent a car. Keep in mind that meters are enforced 7 days a week.
To venture out of the city, you have several options. For the East Bay, including Berkeley, Oakland Fremont, take BART (Bay Area Rapid Transport) from downtown San Francisco, which has four main stations: Embarcadero, Montgomery, Powell, and Civic Center. For the Peninsula and Silicon Valley, including San Mateo, Redwood City, Palo Alto, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara and San Jose, take Caltrains from its main station at 4th and Brannan. Note that Caltrains offers bullet trains directly to Silicon Valley during commute hours so make sure you know which stops your train services.
Safety and emergency services
San Francisco is safe as long as you bear in mind you’re in a city. Keep your belongings in sight and pay attention in crowded areas. Recently, there’s been an upsurge in homeless and junkies on the streets. Most are harmless, though out of an abundance of caution, if it’s late at night, walk with a group or take a rideshare – it’s worth the price for peace of mind. The few neighbourhoods to avoid at night: Bayview-Hunters Point, Tenderloin, the lower Haight. There is not much foot traffic at those hours so best to err on the side of caution.
Credit cards are accepted pretty much everywhere, with most mom-and-pop shops taking advantage of Square’s offerings on their home turf. I personally keep $60 in cash just in case of emergencies but rarely ever need to use it. For street artists plying their trade in the more touristy areas, keep a few one’s or five’s in an easily accessible pocket.
We have a small population of beggars and panhandlers so please exercise your best judgement if you feel inclined to help them out. I favour providing them with food versus offering them cash, particularly in the above-mentioned neighbourhoods.
Standard tipping in San Francisco is 18% for lunch and 20+% for dinner
Women’s network and events
Maiden Voyage’s partners, IWant2Network offer membership for the best professional networking groups and meetings, locally, nationally and all over the world. See what’s happening in San Fransisco and join IWant2Network here.
